Women’s rights are severely restricted in Iran, to the point where women are even forbidden from watching men’s sports in stadiums. That ban includes Iran’s national obsession – volleyball.

The ban on women in sports stadiums is emblematic of the repression of women across the country. Women confront serious discrimination on issues such as marriage, divorce, and child custody. Women have been sent to jail for publicly speaking out in favour of equal rights for women. Because the government wants Iran’s population to grow, it’s even moving to ban voluntary medical procedures women can undergo to avoid becoming pregnant. And that’s just the beginning.

Married women can’t even leave the country without their husband’s permission. In fact, in September the captain of Iran’s female football (soccer) team, Niloufar Ardalan, couldn’t play in an international tournament in Malaysia because her husband forbade her from travelling.

In 2018, a teen in Iran was arrested for dancing to Western songs — including a Justin Bieber tune and a rap number — in videos on social media, according to reports.

Maedeh Hojabri, an 18-year-old gymnast, posted clips on Instagram that showed her swaying in her bedroom in various outfits.

The state TV broadcast a video of the teen, crying and shaking, with her face blurred as she appeared to confess to breaking moral norms — while insisting that she was just trying to gain more followers.

The Iranian government has strict rules on women’s clothing, and dancing with members of the opposite sex in public is banned.

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